


Tamashii no Monogatari

by livixbobbiex



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Geisha, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Ninjas, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, But also not, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Reincarnation, Samurai, all that shit, it might be mature later, kind of canon verse?, not rated for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27408139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livixbobbiex/pseuds/livixbobbiex
Summary: *MCD IS ONLY A TECHNICALITY*Caught between his love for Karma - the well travelled son of some merchants, and his duty to his family's rice farm, Nagisa made a heart breaking choice. A choice that lead to Karma, after a spout of anguish, severely angering a goddess. Her curse on him is simple: he is never allowed to die or age, and must walk the earth for eternity, whilst he can only watch as Nagisa's soul is reborn over and over. His punishment for ever getting too close to his lover is to watch him die in horrific ways, only to be brought back again a few years later.Then, almost one thousand years later, the moon explodes and everything changes.-AKA author decided why not do ALL the history AUs in one fic.
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Shiota Nagisa, Shiota Nagisa/Other(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 40





	Tamashii no Monogatari

**Author's Note:**

> did i really just start another ongoing?

**Heian Jidai, 1164**

* * *

Nagisa always liked the smell of the rice farm.

It was a strange thing to be fascinated by, he knew. Of course, many people in this country were rice farmers. It was the easiest crop to grow, and on top of feeding his family, the addition of a few animals also allowed them to make enough spare money to live a comfortable life. Nagisa’s father had explained it to him when he was much younger, how he should appreciate the things they have. And, as the first son, it’ll be his responsibility soon to nurture and love.

“Oniisan,” one of his younger sisters sat beside him, right on the side of their crops. “Are you sitting here because you’re sad?”

He forced a smile onto his face, one of the many older sibling responsibilities he faced. “I’m not sad, Haruko.”

“Mama says it’s because of the wedding.”

“Hmm.”

She tilted her head. “Oniisan, will you still live in the house with us?”

“Eventually,” he admitted. “The custom is for her to remain with her family for a while, and then we’ll live together, until I’ll have to take over this farm.”

“When Mama and Papa die?”

He felt sympathetic then. “That won’t be for a _very_ long time, and it’s nothing to worry about. You’ll be married with your own children before that happens.”

Nagisa didn’t doubt it either. Haruko had been born strong and healthy, and continued to grow up that way. He himself was still young, but he knew enough about life, and how it was so intertwined with death. Though he hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes, he’d seen his mother’s stomach go from full to flat, and sometimes a baby born without breath. It made him feel lucky to be alive himself.

“Take me to the shrine later,” she said. “I want to ask the gods to give you luck!”

The suggestion made him feel a little uneasy. Haruko didn’t mean _the shrine_ , his special place, in fact she didn’t even know about it. No, she certainly meant one not too far from their home, where they most often went to pray and celebrate festivities when they came around. It was an appropriate choice, since a few of the gods there were of the family.

Nagisa had no desire to get married. Even if his fiancée’s home was close enough he could justify a visit every now and then, and even if the match would be beneficial for both their families, he couldn’t bring himself to be excited about it. He was the oldest son, and that came with more duty than his other siblings, but it was a hard reality to face when his heart already belonged to someone else. Someone else, he couldn’t help but think, who would not take the news of his engagement well at all.

“Let’s just sit here for a while, Haruko.”

* * *

**Heisei Jidai, 2010s**

* * *

There are many things Karma finds bothersome about the twenty first century. For one, it’s the stiff clothes. Many a time, he’s considered moving down to Heiankyo – Kyoto nowadays – so he can at least get away with wearing a yukata. It’s interesting to him how fashion’s shifted so much during his existence, yet a part of Japan still clings to its ancient ways. At least the westerners abandoned their weird ruffle obsession.

There’s been a _lot_ of changes in the last century, though. Karma barely recognises the country anymore. Particularly Edo, _Tokyo…_ it’s unrecognisable with it’s endless swarths of people and flashing electricity. That’s not a complaint, though. Karma actually likes the invention. Nintendo’s decision to switch from card games to gaming devices was _genius_. Much more fun than the ballgames he grew up with himself.

Another bothersome thing, though not directly linked to the time period, is Karma’s appearance, and the tell tale tug of his stomach. He’s lived this fate hundreds of times over now. Mostly, his appearance is stagnant and frozen, unless there comes a time where he’s supposed to meet Nagisa. Sometimes he’s even grown elderly, when the gods are feeling kind. But this… he can’t help but frown at his reflection, because he looks like a child. Usually the gods spare Nagisa’s life whilst he’s still young. This isn’t _his_ eternal punishment, after all.

You’d think that after so long, he’d be able to resist the pull. But he can’t. Karma’s tried sailing across the ocean, tying himself to a great tree, even getting himself arrested a time or two. Nothing seems to be able to keep him away from Nagisa, when the gods decide they’re supposed to meet. At the very least, young like this, Karma can do his best not to get Nagisa killed.

He’s surprised to find he doesn’t need to travel far, only to one of the surrounding cities. And, then, to the gates of a junior high. The feeling gets stronger and stronger, and Karma watches with fascination as a girl runs through the gates just as the bells begin to chime. His heart sinks, though, when he notices that that’s not a girl at all, and in fact…

He follows him inside carefully, mindful of his behaviour and more than aware that he’s stalking a child right now. The boy runs, though, flinging his outdoor shoes inside the locker and barely getting his indoor ones on. Is he really so afraid of being late? Back when they first met, Nagisa always seemed to be late. He decides to wait for a few seconds, before following suit.

“Akabane Karma,” the teacher says, as though he was always supposed to be there in the classroom he’s supposedly stepped inside.

“Sorry for being late, Sensei,” he forces, though he doesn’t try to act like he means it.

 _Akabane this time, huh_? Of course, he was born in the time before family names were deemed necessary, for people of his class. His first, though, the gods never changed. It was a strange name when he was born, and it’s a strange name now. Karma doesn’t care what anybody else thinks of him, though.

He takes the free seat at the back of the class, eyes digging straight into the back of that blue head. It’s definitely _him_ , he’s sure of it, but Karma won’t know until he sees those eyes.

This isn’t the _first_ time Nagisa’s been a child. Usually, more than ever, Karma makes an effort to keep his distance when that happens. He deserves some hope at life, at least, and that means maintaining more of a guardian role, than one of a lover. Never too far, though, Karma’s not sure he’s capable of that. Sometimes, it’s nice to just see Nagisa live a normal fulfilling life, even if that means being an acquaintance within it. Others… Karma can hardly resist him.

Their curse is simple, really. Karma isn’t capable of dying. He can be wounded and feel pain, but the gods stitch them back together, even if the wound means certain death. If he were to tie himself to a rock in the deepest ocean, he wouldn’t drown. He can’t be poisoned, and he can’t age, although his appearance can change to match Nagisa’s.

On the other hand, Nagisa remains mortal. He’s as fragile as paper, and vulnerable to every human weakness. Once a lifetime, at a time that varies every cycle, he’s fated to meet Karma again. If Karma manages to resist it, then he must suffer from afar as Nagisa lives out his life and inevitably his innocent soul falls for somebody else, before he crumbles in old age. Others, when his will is weak, grants them just a few moments of happiness before Nagisa ends up killed in some kind of horrific way. Being selfish or not doesn’t break their curse, though, Karma’s tried it already. The cycle repeats no matter how long Nagisa lived, or how he died. Again and again, his soul is stuck in the loop. His appearance, his age, and his location always changes. But his name is always Nagisa, he’s always Japanese in at least some way, and Karma _always_ recognises him by the eyes.

It’s a curse, though, a divine punishment. So Karma refuses to think of it as anything like soulmates.

Karma keeps his distance for a few months, miraculously, trying to pretend he doesn’t notice the way Nagisa keeps looking at him. Even after a thousand years, Karma’s pretty sure it has some effect on Nagisa as well, that he feels a pull even if he doesn’t identify it as easily. Karma can’t humour him, though, as much as he kind of wants to. Nagisa’s surprisingly honest like this.

Eventually, Karma humours him, approaching him in one of the shops he seems to spend his time in. He suggests they see a movie, since Nagisa’s reading that kind of magazine. Karma’s been kind of fascinated by the science of them, honestly. How easily a story can be brought to life nowadays… Of course, he can’t go into detail about it without scaring him.

Another rule of their curse, imposed by Karma himself, is that he doesn’t tell Nagisa the truth about their past. It’s true that people’s minds are a lot more open now, with their understanding of science, and their vivid world of fiction. That doesn’t mean it’s any easier to take in, though. Even if Nagisa’s first response wouldn’t be to accuse him of witchcraft, he’d probably think he’s mentally ill.

Really, a part of Karma is just curious to get to know this version of Nagisa. Even though his soul is the same, and there’s parts of the first Nagisa he loved running through him, his upbringing is inevitably destined to have an effect on his personality. A Nagisa born into nobility is far different to a Nagisa born as a peasant.

This one reminds him a lot of how Nagisa was when they first met. There’s more innocence there, and it’s clear that he hasn’t spent large parts of his childhood working on a rice paddy. It’s clear to him that he’s still known hardship, though. Aside from that, there’s an earnestness there, something that Karma wants to protect more than anything. Even if, innocently, Nagisa seems to want to make that hard for him.

He’s also coming dangerously close to figuring things out on a few occasions. Nagisa’s a curious soul no matter what body he’s occupying, and this is no exception. He starts to notice that Karma lives alone, in a house that the average person couldn’t hope to afford. He asks how Karma knows so much stuff, and why he talks funny (it’s really hard to drop 80s slang sometimes) when he’s not concentrating.

It takes him a few more months to finally back off. Nagisa’s getting too close, pushing for too much. Even though Karma’s attraction for him isn’t romantic when he’s like this, the gods aren’t consistent with what’s too close. It’s painful for him to watch Nagisa’s heart break, even though he knows it’s for the better. He still can’t bring it upon himself to leave entirely, though.

What fascinates him the most is that this Nagisa is so much like his first one. He’s been through this routine for a while now, and of course he always remembers Nagisa deeply. But even this resemblance is uncanny. Some days he’s sure Nagisa’s going to turn around and tell him some arbitrary fact about the art of rice growing. Nagisa doesn’t try and talk to him after their first year crawls to a close, though. The lack of confidence is one personality difference.

Karma notices his body is outwardly aging to keep up with Nagisa too, not that it matters so much. His appearance will return to the one he got cursed with soon enough. They didn’t record ages so much back then, but Karma had only been freshly an adult at the time. It’s the easiest appearance to get by with, he finds, aside from a few situations here and there.

Perhaps it’s odd that he’s willingly sitting through these school lessons. It’s not like he has much else to do, though. In the few years he gets every time he’s not bound to Nagisa’s side, he tries to take the opportunity to travel the world, as though he’ll find something new in it. An immortal life means he’s tried every hobby at least three times over, and spending _every_ day reading books is just as boring. At least this way, he’s close by.

“Karma kun,” Nagisa says one day, just before their second year exams. It’s strange, since Nagisa stopped talking to him a while ago. “We’re all going to the shrine, later, t-to pray for luck on our finals… d-do you want to come?”

He barely stands looking up at Nagisa. “I’ll pass.”

What Nagisa doesn’t know is that in those thousand or so years, Karma hasn’t prayed.

When he finds out Nagisa flunked out on them however… he can’t help but feel a little sympathetic. If the gods were even listening to his pleas, there’s no way they’d do anything but actively make it harder for him. If only he could tell Nagisa that he’d be better off if he just kept quiet. He doesn’t like to see him hurting, though.

The next day, Karma beats some random students to pulp. He doesn’t feel too bad about it, since his body is also that of a teenager, and it’s not like the gods gave him superior strength. It doesn’t matter anyway, all he needs to do it behave badly enough he’ll be sent into this so called punishment ‘e’ class, along with Nagisa. Just to keep an eye on him.

And then, unexpectedly, the moon explodes. 

* * *

**Heian Jidai, 1164**

* * *

There was a strong breeze that day, leading Karma to his intended location in the east. He’d never had much of a solid home, since his parents’ business was in travelling. He’d seen lands far away from this island, beyond these people’s imaginations. No, they were happy to carry on with their tiny, insignificant lives. Karma was born insignificant too, but at least he can enjoy it. That valet, though, was the closest thing he’d found to a home so far.

In a way, there was piece in it. Karma had spent a day or two on top of the small hill like this, overlooking the people at work. There was something fascinating in that for him, how a living could be earnt with only well calloused hands, rather than a sharp tongue and a quick mind. One person, though, was unlike the rest. And Karma saw him right away, perched on the edge of his family’s largest rice paddy, and jumped off his horse.

“Nagisa kun,” he called out, hair blowing in the breeze, “it’s been a while.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please keep in mind: this was really just written for fun because I felt like geeking out on Japanese history. It will most likely not be updated regularly, so please remember that. I have other fics that are more my priority. 
> 
> Another note is that whilst Japanese history is a large element of my degree, I'm not an expert. Whilst a lot of this fic will be somewhat researched, it cannot be expected to be 100% period accurate. Unless it's a very specific situation, any resemblances to real historical figures are likely unintentional and coincidental. 
> 
> My main tumblr is [Livixbobbiex](http://livixbobbiex.tumblr.com/) but my ass class blog and the one I used to discuss this fic is right [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nagisasthickthighs)
> 
> If you want to discuss my fics with me directly, please join this [this link](https://discord.gg/py42kFB)


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